How to compare a computer monitor

Size and resolution

Match the inches and the resolution together. A 24 inch full HD panel is not a cheaper 27 inch panel. Measure the desk, including the stand’s footprint, before you sort. A panel that fits a specification sheet can still crowd a small desk.

Refresh rate, an adjustable stand, and a USB-C input are features only when the title or the shop page states them. We do not measure colour and we do not tell you a panel is good for photos. Match the inputs you actually have on the computer.

A monitor arm is usually a separate buy. The panel in the photo is not the arm. A stand that only tilts is different from one that lifts. Read that if the title mentions a stand at all.

Not a television and not a signage panel

Televisions in this catalogue are often commercial signage. Public displays are large professional panels with a brightness claim. Those are different products from a desk monitor. A cheaper signage panel is not a discount on the 27 inch screen you measured.

If you want a television for a living room, read the title for domestic words and use the television guide only when the row is actually that. A kiosk is not a desk monitor.

A laptop screen is not this purchase. Laptop spares are keyboards and batteries. Do not compare a spare with a monitor.

The shop

The feed price excludes postage. A screen is an awkward parcel. Read delivery. Dead-pixel policies are the shop’s, and they differ. Read them if you care, because we do not inspect panels.

One shop is one offer. Visit retailer is an affiliate link. You pay the shop. Commission does not choose the monitor. Match the series name between shops, not only the brand. Similar names can be two models.

Leave a monitor with no size. Leave a resolution you needed that is absent. Leave a title you cannot read. If the model is missing, search it. If it is absent, stop. A nearby size is a different product.

The desk and the stand

Inches are the panel. The stand adds depth on the desk. A 27 inch panel on a deep stand can need more space than the diagonal suggests. If the title gives only the panel size, open the shop for the stand’s footprint before you decide it fits.

Height adjustment, pivot, and tilt are different features. A stand that only tilts is cheaper for a fair reason. An arm is another product. We do not mount screens. VESA, if you need an arm, has to be written on the shop page.

Inputs and a second screen

HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C are different cables. Match the port you have on the computer. A cheaper panel with the wrong port is a different problem, not a saving. A USB-C port that charges a laptop is a feature only when the listing says it charges, not merely that a USB socket exists.

Two monitors are two products. A listing that says a pair is a pair. Do not assume a single panel price is half of a dual setup. Refresh rate, when you care for games, has to be the number in the title. We do not measure it.

Signage is the wrong low price

A commercial panel with a high brightness claim can look like a large cheap monitor. It is signage. It belongs in public displays or the television list, which is full of kiosks. Leave it when you are buying a desk screen.

Dead-pixel rules and postage sit on the shop page. The feed price is the panel. One shop is one offer. Leave a monitor with no size and no resolution. Search the series if you know it. A nearby inch size is a different screen.

Before you click

Match inches and resolution, then the port you actually have: HDMI, DisplayPort, or USB-C. A stand that only tilts is a different product from one that lifts. An arm is separate, and VESA has to be written if you need it. A signage panel with a brightness claim is not a desk monitor, even when it is large and the price looks low. Those rows live with televisions and public displays.

The feed price is the panel, not postage and not a dead-pixel argument. Read both on the shop you would use. Two monitors are two purchases unless the title says a pair. Leave a screen with no size. A nearby inch measurement is a different monitor. One shop is one offer, and you can stop.

A curved panel and a flat panel are different screens at the same diagonal. Match the word curved if it is there. HDR and a brightness number are maker claims. We do not measure them. Built-in speakers are weak extras and are included only when named. A monitor with a USB hub is a different convenience from one that is only a picture. The hub has to be in the title or the shop specification. Height on an adjustable stand changes whether the panel meets your eyes. If you care, read the stand. Signage remains the wrong bargain: a bright commercial panel is not the desk screen you measured.

A panel advertised with a high refresh rate and a panel at 60 hertz are different monitors. Match the number if it is in the title, and do not copy it from a different model in the same series. Speakers, a webcam, and a KVM switch are extras only when named. A commercial brightness figure belongs to signage. If the row says signage, kiosk, or a nit number aimed at a shop window, it is not the desk monitor. Leave it and stay on the inches you measured.